Commr.
Hill opened the meeting stating that presentations would be made this date for
the selection of the architectural firm that will be used for the downtown
Tavares government facilities projects.She welcomed those present and introduced each member of the Board and
the Selection Committee that would be participating in the selection of the
architectural firm that will be used for said projects.

PRESENTATIONS
OF SHORTLISTED ARCHITECTURAL FIRMS

Ms.
Donna Thielhart, Contracting Officer, Procurement Services, addressed the Board
and Selection Committee stating that three firms would be giving presentations
this date.She stated that seven (7)
firms responded to the County’s RSQ (Request for Statement of Qualification),
which the Selection Committee shortlisted down to the firms present this
date.She stated that the Selection
Committee was comprised of the users of the facilities, as well as
stakeholders.She stated that each firm
would have 40 minutes to give their presentations and would then be allotted 30
minutes for questions and answers from the Board and the Selection
Committee.She stated that, once all three
firms had given their presentations, the Board and the Selection Committee
would rank them and opt to negotiate a contract with the first ranked firm.

Presentations
were given by the following firms, for the Lake County Judicial Center
expansion; the Jail expansion; the Central Energy Plant; and the proposed Parking
Garage, at which time representatives of the firms discussed their
organizations, their experience in like projects, their design philosophy, their
project approach, and why the Board and Selection Committee should choose them
for the job, after which all three firms answered questions from the Board and
Selection Committee regarding the proposed projects:

DLR GROUP

HLM
Design/Heery International, Inc.

RECESS
AND REASSEMBLY

At
11:40 a.m., the Chairman announced that the Board would recess for lunch and
reconvene at 12:30 p.m.

PRESENTATIONS
OF SHORTLISTED ARCHITECTURAL FIRMS (CONT’D.)

At
this time, the firm PGAL gave their presentation, with representatives of the
firm covering the same points as the two firms before them had, and answered
questions from the Board regarding the proposed projects.

RECESS
AND REASSEMBLY

At
1:40 p.m., the Chairman announced that the Board would take a ten minute
recess.

PRESENTATIONS
OF SHORTLISTED ARCHITECTURAL FIRMS (CONT’D.)

DISCUSSION
ON SELECTION

Mr.
Sandy Minkoff, County Attorney, stated that the Board and the Selection
Committee were at the last step of the Consultants’ Competitive Negotiation Act
(CCNA).He stated that the Board was
sitting this date as the final committee and the members of the Selection
Committee, who were assisting the Board in their decision, were welcome to join
in the discussion, but, ultimately, a motion and approval would be needed from
a majority of the Board.He stated that
their job was not to choose the one firm that they felt was the best, but to
rank all three firms.He stated that the
way the process works is that, once the firms are ranked, staff will try to
negotiate a contract with the top ranked firm, at which time they will check
references, as well.He stated that they
will then bring the proposed contract before the Board and, if the Board approves
it, the County will enter into a contract with said firm.He stated that, if the County cannot
negotiate with said firm, or the Board does not like the proposed contract,
staff with repeat the process with the second ranked firm, down to the third
ranked firm.He stated that, if the
County is not successful with any of the three firms, the process will have to
be started all over again, noting that the law will not let the County
renegotiate with a firm that has already been passed over.

At
this time, the firms were ranked by the Board and the Selection Committee, with
each member giving the reasons for their ranking.

AWARD

On
a motion by Commr. Cadwell, seconded by Commr. Hanson and carried unanimously,
by a 5-0 vote, the Board approved the ranking of the firms, as follows:

HLM Design/Heery International, Inc.

DLR Group

PGAL

OTHER
BUSINESS

“BRANDING”

Ms.
Cindy Hall, County Manager, stated that a few weeks ago staff went out for a
Request for Proposal (RFP) for “branding” services and received seven (7)
responses back.She stated that they
were all very good and the Selection Committee, consisting of Mr. Gregg Mihalic,
Economic Development and Tourism Director; Ms. Kelly LaFollette, Information
Outreach Supervisor; and Ms. Regina Frazier, Budget Director, ranked their top
choice, which happened to be the least expensive, noting that it comes under
the $25,000 threshold where staff is required to bring it back to the
Board.She stated that the amount is
$24,000 and the firm has proposed a focus group, mission statement, tag lines,
logo design, and development production, in standardizing all the items that
contain the County’s current logo, such as its literature, paperwork, etc.She stated that all the things she alluded to
will be brought before the Board in approximately six weeks, for their selection.She stated that it is an exciting project,
the price is good, and the firm is excellent, therefore, would like to have a
consensus from the Board to start moving forward on it.

Commr.
Stivender stated that she wanted to make sure that the historical side of Lake
County is not lost, in going forward with the “branding” process, noting that it
is a concern of hers.She asked that the
County Manager keep the Board very much in the loop, during this process, and
not just present them with the final product.

Commr.
Hill stated that she was curious as to whether there was a county logo, prior
to the present one, since the County has been in existence since 1887.

Mr.
Sandy Minkoff, County Attorney, interjected that the County redid the County’s
seal in a formal way in 1987.

Ms.
Hall stated that staff will check into the matter and bring any information
they find back to the Board at a later date.

Commr.
Hanson stated that she feels the photographs of former Commissioners, which
once hung in the 4th floor Courtroom of the Historical Courthouse,
need to be located, so that they can be hung in the Administration Building.

Mr.
Minkoff stated that he felt the photographs alluded to were those of elected
officials who had died, consisting of judges, constitutional officers,
etc.He stated that he did not recall whether
there were any photographs of former commissioners.

Staff
was directed to try to locate said pictures, so that they can be displayed in
the Administration Building.

SCHOOL
RESOURCE OFFICERS

Commr. Hill informed the Board that
she met with the School Board and the Superintendent of Schools, as the Board
had appointed her to do, but that they never did get to a point where she could
sit down with them individually.She
stated that they were already in their budget process and she did not want to
lose the opportunity to be heard, while they were in that process, before they
had their budget set.She stated that
she discovered that they were to discuss their General Fund budget at an
upcoming workshop meeting, but did not know if they would give her an opportunity
to speak, however, noted that they did let her address them regarding the issue
of School Resource Officers (SROs).She
stated that she expressed upon them the fact that the Board was very committed
to having law enforcement present in the schools, in the form of SROs, and that
they had made the commitment that they wanted to keep children safe, which she
made paramount in her remarks.She
stated that she let them know that, along with the Sheriff, the Board needed to
know the staffing level and the funding level.She stated that she requested a 50/50 split for the staffing level,
noting that the County would pay the operational expenses for those
deputies.She stated that the School
Board was not opposed to the 50/50 level for staffing, but they want all 14
municipalities in the County to respond to them, which she was not real clear
on, as to how or why they thought the municipalities were to be included.She stated that they wanted her to say that
the Board thought the municipalities should be there, but she did not feel it
was her place to do that - that she was present on behalf of the Board
only.She stated that she feels it will
be a higher level, if the municipalities want to include money in their 50% of
the cost.She stated that Sheriff Daniels
informed her that it would take 21 deputies (School Resource Officers) to cover
every middle and high school in the County.

Commr. Hill stated that the School
Board asked that she and Ms. Cindy Hall, County Manager, meet with their Chief
Financial Officer, Mr. Tommy Crosby, and go over the exact number needed, at
which time she can discuss the matter further with the Board.She stated that the School Board appeared to
be very positive about the 50/50 split, however, noted that the Superintendent
of Schools, Ms. Anna Cowin, did not seem to be as positive, in that she does
not feel there is money in the budget for it.She noted that, although there are 14 municipalities, there are only 6
municipalities that have schools within their boundaries.She stated that she and Ms. Hall will sit
down with the School Board’s Chief Financial Officer, per their instructions,
and bring something back to the Board at a later date.

ADJOURNMENT

There
being no further business to be brought to the attention of the Board, the
meeting was adjourned at 2:20 p.m.